Brittany Worth, Official Fan Reporter

September 21/15 It’s the most exciting time of the whole NASCAR season, its The Chase time! We all know the stress and pressure is definitely on for all these 16 drivers now trying to win that big trophy at the end and claim the title of “The Champ”, 16 nations, 10 battles, 1 champion. On Sunday September 20th, 2015 the first race of The Chase was started at Chicagoland Speedway. Preparing for this week’s race Denny went through some rehab to strengthen his knee to help through this battle. Denny started 29th in the race due to qualifying being cancelled and going off practice 1 times. Denny felt pretty confident in the car and crew and felt he was pretty sure they would be fast enough to get back in the front with no problem. In the interview he was talking about how fast he was in practice Friday and how they even went with the FedEx Ground #11 paint scheme because it has always been consistent and they wanted to go with something consistent during the chase.

We all know that there are always going to be problems in the races you have to deal with, especially when you are racing for a bigger picture now. On lap 2, Denny got caught behind a car who lost it and tried stopping but his car just snapped around and spun out which brought out the first caution of the race, luckily he didn’t hit the wall or anything to cause damage to the car. After spinning out, Denny ended up going two laps down at some point of the race and at that point I was thinking well this isn’t the best start we wanted to The Chase. Denny finally got all the laps back after cautions and wave bys. Denny looked pretty strong as the race went on as well as all the Joe Gibbs cars. As the laps clicked down we all knew the big picture was the final pit road stops that were going to be made and when to make them. As the last caution came out with 6 laps to go Denny started to come down and get tires but his crew chief told him all he needed was “Clean Air, Clean Air!” and to stay out. This made me really nervous because most of the cars behind him went in and got fresh tires. Denny was restarting behind Jeff Gordon on the second row beside his teammate Carl Edwards who was also a lap down at one point.

As they came around the corner to the green flag there would be 5 laps to go. As soon as that green flag dropped Denny went on the outside of Jeff and made it three wide and took off for the lead. Denny took off and was looking really strong for the win because of course in the back mirror his teammate Carl Edwards was coming as well as Kurt Busch who both had fresher tires than Denny. Denny held on to win the race and punched his way into the second round of The Chase! In the interview in victory lane he said “These next two races are just going to be fun for us, all the pressure is off now, Thank God!”

It was definitely a great day for the #11 FedEx team from spin to win with torn ACL and all!

VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200:September 11/15 Denny started out the weekend in Darlington winning the pole for the XFINITY series, which was great for all of us in Hamlin Nation because we knew how much Denny loved Darlington with all the success he has had there. Denny lead pretty much the whole race and was looking really sharp for the win. When the final pit stops came into play we all knew it was going to be an interesting finish as his teammate Daniel Suarez stayed out to try and win. Denny came through the pack and was 2nd with 5 laps or so to go. We all knew it was going to be a Joe Gibbs Racing finish just didn’t know if Daniel had enough to stay up in front of the pack. Coming to 3 laps to go, Denny took the lead back and took off. Joe Gibbs Racing finished 1-2-3 as the checkered flag flew. Denny tamed the Lady in Black and we all were hopeful for a weekend sweep for him. This was Denny’s 4th win from the pole at Darlington.

Bojangles’ Southern 500:Denny was fast in practice staying in the top 10 and qualifying in 6th position for race day. This was by far the longest race I’ve ever sat up and watched. Denny’s pit crew was on top of their game all day helping Denny stay in the top 10 pretty much the whole race. Denny took the lead 2 or 3 times and was looking really fast and confident for another win for the weekend. Even though he didn’t have what was needed for the win, he still came home in 3rd with his teammate Carl Edwards winning. Denny was pretty happy with his performance and the whole performance of the #11 FedEx team.

Over the past week Denny was playing basketball and tore his ACL. He went in for an MRI and was still cleared to finish off the season and to go win a championship with surgery after it ends, with that being said, off to Richmond we go!

August 25/15Denny was pulling double duty this weekend at The Last Great Colosseum.

Food City 300Denny qualified on the pole for the XFINITY series in the #20 HiSense Camry in front of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. As part of Hamlin Nation this was awesome news for us fans and hopefully for a win. Denny and Kyle battled back and forth for most of the race for the lead until a bad pit stop put Denny back a few spots. Denny finished out 4th in the XFINITY race and was very happy with the car and the team’s efforts all day.

IRWIN Tools Night RaceDenny qualified once again on the pole, sweeping the weekend and set the new track record for the fastest lap of 131.407 mph in a whopping 14.602 seconds! Once again he was in front of his teammate Kyle Busch for the front row. After hearing Denny won both poles on Friday, I was hoping, along with everyone else in Hamlin Nation, for a weekend winning sweep! Denny had a good race staying up in the top for most of the race. He didn't have enough to win but he did finish 3rd. This weekend was a lot better than the past races he has had and he was very happy with the way his car was and the great effort his team put in both days.

August 3/15 Denny started off the week really strong in practice and has already had some success at this race track in the past so we were all hoping for a good ending to this race for the #11 FedEx team. Denny qualified 11th which is not a bad place to start in a long race.

The race was kind of a caution frenzy at the beginning. Denny was complaining of transmission problems early on but got a hold of it later in the race. Denny stayed up front in the pack mostly the whole race and was looking really good. Around lap 124 he pitted hoping it would help his game plan in the long run.

This race was a fuel race coming to the end. Denny was 6th coming up with a few laps to go when all 3 top drivers started running out of gas. I was hoping this was a good shot for Denny but sadly he ran out of gas too and ended up finishing 22nd. Tough finish but a good day all around for the #11 and his team.

Off to the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International. WE CAN, WE WI11!

Short Track Showdown, ToyotaCare 250 & Toyota Owners 400Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown:On Thursday April 23rd, Denny hosted his annual Short Track Showdown in South Boston, VA for his foundation supporting and raising awareness and funds for the specific needs of children with cystic fibrosis. This event is held at Denny’s home track South Boston Speedway and had other NASCAR stars such as Chase Elliot, David Ragan, Hermie Sadler, Timothy Peters, Jeb Burton, and others. The Grand Marshall for the event was no other than the famous Bill Elliott or as everyone knows him "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville"! It was a great turn out with about 46 limited late model cars and not an empty seat in the stands. Denny ended up raising $20,000 for his foundation and South Boston Speedway owners donated a grandstand to Denny in his name for being so loyal to the track and his home track roots. Timothy Peters won the race. It was a great day, for a great cause and some great racing.

ToyotaCare 250:On Friday April 24th, Denny was back up in Richmond for the XFINITY race. He was super excited about getting behind the wheel of the #20 HISENSE machine with his old crew chief from last year. After a long day, starting at 8:15 a.m., from practice Denny qualified on the pole with Joey Logano behind him. Denny had a really strong car and lead all but 2 laps of the 250. Denny went on to win the race which was the 100th win for Toyota. Denny was all smiles in victory lane and was so happy with the team and his performance. As part of Hamlin Nation, we were all hoping this would be a sweep weekend for Denny.

Toyota Owners 400:After a rain delay on Saturday, the Sprint Cup race was held on Sunday as a day race. Denny and Joey swapped spots in qualifying as Denny qualified 2nd behind Joey this time. Denny was very proud of his car for the night race that was supposed to happen Saturday but he knew that Sunday was going to be a struggle. As the race began, Denny started falling back and just couldn’t get a grip on the track to help him. He reported his car being loose off and on and tight in the center. Denny just couldn’t get the grip he wanted on the track and finished the race 22nd. A rough and disappointing day after the high on Friday but, on to the next race!

Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to CancerQualified 5th

Raced up to lap 22 before the red flag was put out for rain.

After a 2 hour or so rain delay they finally were back in the cars getting a restart on lap 23. Denny didn't start the restart due to neck/back spasms that occurred on lap 12. Denny said in the interview with Fox Sports 1 that he didn't feel he would be 100% in the race car and it wouldn't be fair to his team to go out there and not run 100%. Erik Jones replaced him.

April 18/15 I was unable to watch the races last weekend due to not being home but I kept up with them on Twitter. Here are some stats from what I saw for Denny during the XFINITY race and Sprint Cup race.

O'Reilly Auto Club 350

Qualified 11th

Had a really strong car and stayed in the top 10 cars pretty much the whole race it seemed. Not the finish he wanted but we will take it.

Finished 7th

Duck Commander 500

Qualified 18th

After the win at Martinsville we were hoping for another good weekend for the #11 FedEx team. Denny had an up and down day on the track but still had a decent finish.

Finished 11th

On to The Last Great Colosseum! Denny qualified 5th in both the XFINITY race and Sprint. Maybe it'll be a double victory for him! You never know, ITS BRISTOL BABY!

March 31/15 Another week of NASCAR racing, just a shorter track this time! NASCAR traveled to the hills of Virginia this week to the famous “Paperclip” of Martinsville for the STP 500. Possibly one of my favorite short tracks out there. Throughout the week Denny had some solid times in the practices and looked decent. When it came around for qualifying time I had a good feeling that Denny could possibly get his first of the season. I was sadly wrong after Denny went out and qualified 15th for the race Sunday but that’s okay, we all knew he would make his way to the front like he has before! Saturday, during the final practice for the Sprint Cups, Denny was the fastest car out there. He ascended to the top of the board and stayed there the whole time which was a very good sign for what was to come on Sunday.

Going into Sunday, Hamlin Nation, as well as I, was confident that this could be the day for our driver. We felt he would be in victory lane at the end of the race. The announcers mentioned at the beginning of the race that Denny’s achilles heel would be the pit box selection they made. They were also told by people in the garage to make sure and watch the #11 car of Denny Hamlin because he will be the one to beat in this race. Of course, I was ecstatic to hear that.

Denny started on the outside of row 8 beside the 10 of Danica Patrick as they lined up for the green flag. As the first caution came out on lap 10, Denny was up 6 spots at p9 and was looking strong and hungry for another victory at Martinsville. He pretty much stayed in that spot, as they were nose to tail from the leader and on back until lap 22 when the 2nd caution came out. He gained a spot, putting him p8 at the restart. As laps went down, Denny continued to march on towards the front making it up to the top 3 on lap 36 and 5 laps later, at lap 41, he was p2 passing Ryan Newman and going hard for the leader Joey Logano. Not slowing down a bit.

After the pit stop on lap 54, Denny lost two spots due to the traffic on pit road. The pit box spot achilles heel, like the announcers had stated earlier. At the restart he started 4th but got a really good jump and was back into the top 3 within a matter of seconds. As a man on a mission, Denny was back in p2 at lap 63 and once again was going after Joey Logano for the lead. On lap 148, Denny took the lead for the first time of the race from Kevin Harvick and took off, looking really good at this point. As caution 6 came out, Denny and the #11 FedEx team had an uncontrolled tire penalty again causing him to lose the lead. He had to restart in the back of the longest line which put him p22. He didn’t take him long to get back in the top 20 when the 7th caution flag flew. At lap 203 he made his way back in to the top 15 at p14 and was fighting hard to get back into the lead, which is hard to do at Martinsville. 252 laps to go and Denny was back in the top 10, hungrier than ever to get back in the lead. After another week of the same penalty, he wanted the win.

Restarting in the back of the pack at p22, with 197 laps to go, Denny made his way all the back to p3 and wasn’t giving up. 109 laps to go Denny retook the lead back and was looking amazing. We were all hopeful until he started falling back to 5th with 174 to go. When the 13th caution came out he was back to p2 and it was obvious he wasn’t done just yet. With 102 laps to go Denny retook the lead from Kevin Harvick after playing a little bump and shove with him. He was leading with 66 laps to go when the 14th caution came. He restarted 5th after pit stop behind teammate Matt Kenseth. 27 laps to go, it was a Joe Gibbs Racing front row as Denny took the lead away from Matt Kenseth. At this point I was freaking out, praying no more cautions or anything bad to happen. As the laps counted down Brad Keselowski fought him hard trying to give him a little bump and move him with 1 to go. Denny held on and won the STP 500 at Martinsville and his 5th grandfather clock!!

At the interview in victory lane Denny was quoted saying, "We just weren’t going to be denied today. Hats off to Brad, he had an option and he took the latter (not to wreck Hamlin). I thank him for that." It was a great and emotional win for the Joe Gibbs Racing team as they dedicated it to Joe Gibb’s grandson J.D. Gibbs who is in the hospital. Denny and the whole Joe Gibbs Racing staff and teammates enjoyed the victory lunch today from NASCAR. All I can say is…..

March 25/15 After last week and the outcome of the race, we, as Hamlin Nation, were all hoping for a better week this weekend, with better outcomes for our driver! Denny started out the weekend behind the wheel of the 54 car for the XFINITY series covering for the injured Kyle Busch, once again. He started the race in the front pack of the cars after qualifying 3rd and hungry for his first XFINITY race win since April 2011. It was looking really good for the chance of a trip to victory lane as he lead for 33 laps of the race. We all were hopeful for him and trying really hard to pull him there, until he started reporting of possible engine issues. That is where it started all going downhill for Denny and his team as he entered pit road for a scheduled green flag stop. He got caught speeding which caused him to have to serve a pass through penalty that put him a lap down. His day of winning was pretty much over at that point. Denny and the #54 team came home with an 18th place finish.

Image credit: Denny Hamlin Supporters facebook

Auto Club 400On Sunday, Denny was ready and hungry and had the determination for that victory at Auto Club Speedway. Last year he did not get to race at this track due to an eye injury so he was more ready than ever. Once again, just like the XFINITY race the day before, Denny was starting in the front pack of cars after qualifying 6th. As they lined up Denny was on row 3 beside the #42 of Kyle Larson and looked like it was going to be a good day for the #11 Sport Clips team. The green flag dropped. Within 9 laps Denny was up two spots to p4 and charging strong to the front. He was in p3 before lap 23 when the caution flag was brought out. After the pit stop for 4 fresh tires Denny gained 1 spot which put him on the front row looking for the lead, for the first time of the day. He didn’t get a good jump on the restart settling for p2 and looking for the lead. Charging hard to the front on lap 32 the #11 Sport Clips machine took the lead and was looking very good! Denny led 56 laps until the 2nd caution came out. He had a bad pit stop losing 3 spots, ending back to p4. On the restart the #22 of Joey Logano and Denny battled hard back and forth until losing and falling back to the 5 position. After another caution, the restart on lap 104 was not a very good one for the #11 team. They got behind the #14 of Tony Stewart who just couldn’t get off the restart, pushing Denny back from 4th to 14th position. He was trying to get around the #14 machine, got stuck in the middle of the pack with no place to go. Denny charged forward after that rough restart and by around lap 138 he was back in 7th position, looking strong and still as hungry as ever for that win. As laps went on Denny kept charging forward. With 42 laps to go he was back in the top 5 cars. He was riding too high, got into the wall and rode it for a while. This put him back into 7th position with damage on the right side of the car. The caution flag flew out with 13 to go. Denny made a pit stop and ended up with an uncontrolled tire penalty which put him starting in the back of the longest line of cars. Denny went from restarting in the 3rd position all the way back to 30th position which ended his victory run for the day.

Denny and the #11 Sport Clips team finished the day 28th, which put them 14th in the standings. Denny was quoted saying, “We were good at the beginning and got off a little bit, but we had a bad restart. I got shuffled back beyond the top 10 and worked our way back to the top five and then the top three and then had a penalty. You just can't come back from that. There isn’t anybody in the field with a fast enough car to come back from any penalties. We had one at the inopportune time and it just led to a bad finish and we blew up at the end. That topped everything off.” Congrats to the #2 of Brad Keselowski on their win and what a crazy finish it was!

March 17/15Well, another week of NASCAR racing in the books and another week of ups and downs for many of the teams. Denny and the #11 FedEx team had a very rough week for them as nothing went right on the track. Denny wasn’t as fast as he normally was in practices the previous weeks before, finishing in the top 15 or lower. During qualifying, the car was as fast as normal but Denny got bumped out of the first round and qualified 25th. As Hamlin Nation, we always hope that race day will be better and even though Denny started in the back of the pack we knew he could come through and march to the front like he has in other races.

Starting on row 13th beside the #7 of Alex Bowman we all hoped that was going to be the case. As the race started he pretty much stayed in place until about lap 7 he finally made way up 3 spots to p22. He didn’t really move up much anymore for a few laps until the caution came out on lap 16 and he was up 2 more spots to p20. I thought maybe after the pit stop he might have a better car and could start his march but around lap 25 he started falling back to 25th position and just kept going back until about lap 70 where he ended up in 30th position and was close to being lapped by the leader Kevin Harvick. He started making some moves and finally got back up to 24th position at around lap 130 and kept trucking forward. Around lap 201 where was the 6th caution and Denny was up to 17th position. He finally made to the top 15 on lap 210 and we all thought his lucky was looking up and he was making his way to the front. As laps went on he went back and forth between 15th and 18th staying in that range of cars. With 64 laps to go the worst of what Hamlin Nation didn’t want to happen begin to happen. Denny started falling backwards in the pack and ended up right where he started the race at. Denny and the #11 FedEx team ended up finishing in 23rd position. Denny was quoted saying “We just couldn’t get our car to turn,” said Hamlin, following the race. “It’s certainly a disappointing finish for our FedEx team, but we learned a lot for the fall race here that will be important. We’ll move on from this and get better.” Disappointing for the #11 FedEx team but all we can do is hope for the best next weekend! Off to Fontana we go! Congrats to Kevin Harvick and the Freaky Fast team on their win again!We can, We Wi11

March 13/15 Another weekend of racing, another crazy race! I believe this season is going to be very interesting getting down closer to the chase! Starting off the weekend Denny filled in for Kyle Busch in the Xfinity Boyd Gaming 300 race. All week the talk was about how he was a favorite to win this race alongside Ryan Blaney. As a Hamlin fan it was very weird to see him in a black monster car with Rowdy on the side but I was excited to see how he did and knew he could use it as practice for the Sprint Cup race Sunday. During the practices he was fairly fast going into qualifying. During qualifying he had a fast car but ended up qualifying 11th which is not a bad spot to start the race just outside the top 10. Majority of the race he was up in the top 10 but just didn’t have a good handle on the car. The pit crew did everything they could to help him every pit stop, tightening the car and making it faster for him. Although he was a favorite to win he ended up finishing in 4th place but was very proud of his effort and the car he had and how hard everyone worked to get him in the top 5 for the finish. Erik Jones is filling in for Kyle Busch next week at Phoenix.

Next for Denny's weekend was the Kobalt 400 race on Sunday. As usual, the #11 FedEx machine was very fast during practice but just couldn’t quite catch the speed he needed during qualifying to be up in front. He ended up qualifying in the 19th spot which put him starting on row 10 beside the 15 car of Clint Bowyer. This was fine because the Hamlin faithful knew he would make his way to the front in no time!

The race started and within 4 laps Denny was already up to p11 and was very happy with how the car handled. He told his crew that he could go high or go low and still had the speed he wanted and it didn’t hurt the car at all. On lap 25 they had the competition caution and he was up to p9 at that point. On pit road he was coming down to leave pit road and the 51 car was trying to get to his spot and slammed on his breaks to miss the 48, coming out of his pit stall. Denny ended up nudging him in the back a little but there was just minimum damage to the front left and Denny wasn’t really too worried about it. As the race went on Denny continued to progress to the front of the pack. By around lap 83 he was in the top 5 and still moving forward. The #11 FedEx pit crew were once again on point every stop helping him gain spots and get to the front. Denny pretty much stayed in the top 10 from lap 63 on to the finish. He was determined the whole race to get in the front and get to that checkered flag for the win. The small damage that happened on pit road kind of hurt him in the end because he started complaining about it letting too much air in and causing him to slow down. Denny ended up finishing 5th after all was said and done and was very pleased with the performance and effort from the FedEx team.

It was a very good race to watch and I’d like to congratulate Kevin Harvick and the whole #4 Freaky Fast team on their 1st win of the season. That car was wicked fast all race!

Las Vegas down, on to Phoenix we go. Good luck to all the drivers and their teams!

March 3/15 Atlanta race weekend, once again a crazy one! Denny’s motor coach was hit from the side by a SUV at the beginning of the week, at 7 am, while he was inside sleeping. The 44 team’s trailer, with the car in it, was stolen while at a hotel they were sleeping at. I’m sure we were all thinking, is this the foreshadow of what the race will be like? Well, it definitely was a wild one with 10 cautions and one red flag thrown. Denny’s car was fast, as it has been in practice and qualifying, which put him starting 4th on Sunday. As the race started Kevin Harvick, who was starting second, had to go to the back of the pack due to the engine loss during practice Saturday. This bumped Denny up to third. Denny led the 1st lap of the race but then quickly lost that lead to the pole sitter Joey Logano. Denny pretty much ran up in the top 10 all race and on lap 186, at the restart, Denny took the lead. He complained all race about his car being really loose so after a couple laps he lost that momentum, quickly.

The pit crew was on point all race which really helped Denny stay in the top 10 and gain spots with every stop they made. The #11 FedEx machine looked really good out on the track. I was thinking he had a good shot at possibly getting the lead back and going on to win, but on lap 257 Denny got caught in the middle of a pack, where he hadn’t been all day. His spoiler got some wind and the car just spun on him causing caution 8 which took out a few cars. Denny got out and explained it was a bad draft and the car just spun underneath him. He apologized to the drivers who were involved as well.

The crew members of the FedEx team worked really hard in the garage to get the #11 back out on the track. With 33 laps to go they started to head back out to the pits but didn’t have it quite right yet so they headed back to the garage for more repairs. After the 9th caution, with 25 laps to go, they finally got the car back out there and finished 38th in the race. Tough break for Denny and his team but it's racing and wrecks are bound to happen. Hoping there's better luck for Denny and his team next week.

Congrats to Jimmie Johnson on his first win of the season. Off to Las Vegas Motor Speedway we go for the Kobalt 400!

Feb 28/15 Well what can I say? The Daytona 500 did not fail to entertain us race fans, am I right? After having to start in the back during the Duels Thursday night and then having to deal with the issue after the race with Danica, I’ll say that it was one crazy week!

Denny started the race on the outside of row 21 beside Casey Mears, but as we all know just because you are in the back doesn’t not mean you are out of the race by no means, especially at Daytona. As the race started Denny was kind of in the middle of the pack until about midway on but as the race went on, lap by lap, Denny slowly creeped his way to the front of the pack. The #11 Fedex team was on point during pit stops, as always, which helped him gain spots. The number #11 Fedex machine was fast all week so I, as well as, the Hamlin fan base was just waiting for him to get to the front.

The real excitement didn’t really happen til about 10 laps to go because that’s when everyone starts to book it to try and make things happen. Denny finally made it to the lead but couldn’t hold off Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson, who were fast all day. The most stressful part of the race for me was when there was 3 laps to go with a green-white checkered coming up and a red flag waved due to a big crash behind the front cars. Denny was lined up second beside Joey and I was so anxious hoping this could be the point that Denny could win his first Daytona 500 when the restart happened. When they lined up Clint Bowyer was behind Joey and Jimmie was behind Denny. We all knew there was going to be some pushing and shoving to get up there in front. It just depended on which line was faster. As the green flag flew, Denny just couldn’t get the right push he needed to pass Joey for the win and ended up going back 2 spots and settling for 4th place. It was a crazy race but Denny was very happy with the car and the performance he had out on the track.

After watching qualifying today for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Denny will start out 4th in front of his new teammate Carl Edwards with Joey Logano on pole. I think it will be a good race to watch and see what actually happens. I am hoping the #11 will be in victory when the checkered flag flies but you never know with this sport! Joey’s car was fast but then again 13 cars did not get to go out and qualify, which includes Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, so it will definitely be a good race and one to watch for sure!

Good luck to all the teams and congrats to Joey Logano for winning the Daytona 500 and the pole today for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 this Sunday!

Feb 17/15 Ah, speedweek is finally here and upon us. The first true sign of NASCAR season finally being back in the swing and the long dreaded offseason is officially over! As I said last week, it all begins with Media Day, kicking it off right. Everyone talking about the changes, plans and other information preparing for this season. That led to the next event, Sprint Unlimited. As a part of Hamlin Nation, I, as well as every other Denny fan, was hoping it would be a repeat of the previous year. We were sadly mistaken.

The Sprint Unlimited started out as a good one for the #11 FedEx team. The whole team pretty much stayed in the middle of the pack, just trying to gain some speed and positions. As everyone knows who loves NASCAR, you can’t race at Daytona without cautions. Am I right? There was a small caution at the beginning which they officially stated as the competition caution that they were going to take at lap 25, but Denny managed to get by clean and was looking really good. Then came the big wreck that sadly collected Denny in the 12 car “Big One” as everyone was calling it on lap 45. During the interview, after coming out of the infield medical center and watching the replay, Denny joked by saying, “I got some really good hang time there!” With all that being said, we were taken out of the race and the hopes of a repeat. Congrats to Denny’s teammate Matt Kenseth for pulling off the first win for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Qualifying was the next big event for the Speedweek. As everyone who watched knows, they qualified in group for the first time in the history of racing at Daytona. That caused a lot of big issues with drivers and fans alike, complaining about it and how they should have kept with the traditional ways. Denny went out in the first group and went to the top of the boards in two laps and finished the fastest in group 1A, to advance to the second round. In the second round, again, I was getting quite nervous when no one would go for a while. Denny went out and laid some more fast laps down and ended up second fastest to advance to the third round of qualifying but could not pull off the fastest lap for the pole and settled for third. Ending qualifying he was set for third. Denny would have been starting second in the duels Thursday but after failing tech for the track bar being too high, he will be put in the back of the pack of his group for the duels and race for his spot in the Daytona 500.

It’s definitely been a crazy start to the 2015 season already, but here’s to hoping the #11 FedEx team will pull through and get a good spot for the 500 and go on for the Daytona 500 victory! Good luck to all the teams out there and may the best and fastest driver win!

Feb 13/15 Racing season is just around the corner and I can already feel the blood rushing when those beautiful engines rev to life! Thursday was media day for the Sprint Cup stars as we all get ready for what, I assume, is going to be an awesome race season! During the interview today, Denny was talking about all the changes that Joe Gibbs racing has made. He quoted saying, “It’s like I am racing with a whole new team”. Last season Denny went on to win the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona. Of course, as a proud fan, along with my other Hamlin Nation fans, we are all hoping for a repeat.

This season is hopefully going to be a good one for Denny and the #11 FedEx team with all the changes they have made to get better. Denny seemed really confident in his team and was really happy that he still got to keep his pit crew, except his engineer who is now his crew chief for his XFINITY car. The confidence that he showed made me really excited to see what this season is going to hold for him and his team. I’m sure Hamlin Nation will agree with me here when I say we all hope for another championship run and coming out on the winning side this time.

During the offseason Denny did the gridiron challenge, which was an absolute blast to watch. This consisted of Denny and five other NASCAR stars, such as Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, and Kyle Busch teaming up with six retired NFL stars and racing two 10 lap races around Charlotte Motor Speedway. Denny was paired up with Brian Mitchell. The NFL players got a chance to be behind the wheel where they had to qualify and see who got the pole. Once everyone qualified then the NASCAR stars had to throw footballs at targets to see how much time they could knock off the laps their players did. It was a fun event to watch seeing the NASCAR stars out of their element and being as competitive throwing the footballs as they are on the track. Denny defeated Matt Kenseth in the football throwing contest but could not defeat when competing on the track, coming in last place, but coming out with smiles and a lot of laughs.

Feb 10/15 Hi, my name is Brittany. Growing up in NC and in a very active sports family, racing was kind of a 'must like' in my family. I grew up watching NASCAR and being a Jeff Gordon fan because of my dad, and I thought his rainbow car was the prettiest, back in those days (LOL). I would watch a race every now and then. I never really got into it much until about 2010. That was when I grew into being a Kasey Kahne fan and really started following it from there. The past few years I have become a fan of Denny Hamlin. By far, he is my favorite driver of all the ones I’ve liked.

I chose Denny to “rep” as proudly as I did because I just think he is a very genuine guy and I love his never give up attitude.This past race season was very exciting for him and of course, Hamlin Nation, as we traveled along with him to the championship. I met Denny in May of last year and became even more of a fan at that moment. I’ve heard stories from other fans of how he goes out of his way to make his fans proud. I just think that is awesome.I am a very big sports fanatic being as I grew up a coach's kid. Even though I love baseball, my love for racing is right up there with it. I love going to watch baseball and basketball games. My family and I travel to Atlanta, GA sometimes in the summers and catch Atlanta Braves games. At home, I go to a local race track called Bowman Gray Stadium every Saturday during race season and other tracks around here to watch modified racing.